Peugeot Testing 208 T16 ahead of Pikes Peak Hill Climb [w/video]
Peugeot has released a new video of the 208 T16 undergoing heavy testing at Mont Ventoux in preparation for the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb to be held at the end of this month. The location for one of the most grueling stages of the Tour de France, Mont Ventoux represents the perfect spot to test the car because of its steep terrain and high attitudes which attracted racers as far back as 1902. Using the last six kilometers of the mountain’s summit road, the 208 T16 tested at rather high altitudes for Europe, but with a peak of 6,263 feet, even the barren summit is more than 3,000 feet below the start of the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb. The finish line sits at 14,110 feet, nearly 5,000 feet above the start.
This is what team technical chief Jean-Christophe Pailler had to say:
Okay, the altitude isn’t as extreme here as it is at Pikes Peak which reaches 4,301 meters, but it’s a valuable intermediate step. It allows us to see the differences in the way the engine functions, although we hope to suffer less from altitude-induced power-loss than our rivals because of the turbochargers we have chosen.
The Peugeot team is very confident that they have a car which can not only win the Hill Climb, but obliterate the competition, and they may be right considering that the mid-mounted 3.2-litre V6 power plant produces 875 bhp. It is connected to a six-speed sequential transmission and an all-wheel drive system that enables the 875 kg race car to accelerate from 0-100 km/h in just 1.8 seconds. If that wasn’t enough, Peugeot have 9-time WRC champion, Sebastien Loeb piloting the 208 T16 up the hill.
Watch the video below to see how Loeb gets along with the 208 T16 at Mont Ventoux.
[youtube id=”6sHlBX4KqBM” width=”100%” height=”300px”]
Enjoy some pictures of the 208 T16 in its Red Bull race livery, as well as the previewed all-black version.
News source: Car Magazine
Image credit: GTspirit.com
